Mother Tongue Education Research Articles

Polarisation and marginalisation – discourses on Sami as L1 mother tongue instruction in syllabus, and media debate

ABSTRACT In Sweden, curricula and syllabi for education are politically determined after public consultations. Thus, these educational documents are discursive trade-offs reflecting research, traditions in the educational system, and political ideologies. This study maps the discourses in the syllabus for Sami as L1 mother tongue for preschool class – Year 9, and mother tongue instruction in media debate 2016–2022. It problematises the educational implications of the language ideologies and tensions in the material. While Sami is accorded the status as mother tongue, it does not have the same status as Swedish or even Modern languages. Mother tongue instruction is promoted as the foundation for learning other languages, and multilingualism as an asset for Sweden as a country, and for the individual. The quality of mother tongue instruction is criticised by Sami and other minorities, as well as by those perceiving mother tongue instruction as a threat to assimilation.

Pedagogical Collaboration for Multilingual Support in Swedish Compulsory Schools

The present study analyzes and discusses mother tongue teachers’ perspectives on interdisciplinary collaboration with two specific groups of professionals: mainstream teachers and SEN teachers. A purposeful sampling with a maximum variation was chosen to obtain the highest possible representativeness. Thereafter, 13 individual, thematical, open-structured interviews were conducted. To discuss the themes arising from the abductive analysis of the interviews Bronstein’s (2003) theoretical model for interdisciplinary collaboration was used. The study forms part of a doctoral dissertation, which aims to get a more in-depth view of different measures that support multilingual students’ learning in the Swedish school context. In this paper, however, only results concerning mother tongue teachers’ perspectives on interdisciplinary collaboration with mainstream teachers and SEN teachers are presented. The results show that mother tongue teachers have a firm and consistent perception of their professional role, relying on the subject curriculum when planning, implementing, evaluating, and grading. However, interdisciplinary collaboration with mainstream teachers and special educational needs teachers is limited to solving structural and administrational challenges. The findings suggest that valuable multilingual resources would be made better use of when structural and administrative matters were formalized.

What Should an Ideal Pre-Service Mother-Tongue Teacher Look Like?

In this study, it was tried to determine the profile of an ideal pre-service mother tongue teacher according to the views of Turkish mother tongue teachers and pre-service teachers. The data of the study were collected through a semi-structured "Characteristics of a Good Pre-Service Mother Tongue Teacher Form" created by the researchers. In this form, 5 mother tongue teachers working in Erzurum province of Turkey and 10 pre-service mother tongue teachers studying at Atatürk University Kazım Karabekir Faculty of Education, Turkish Language Teaching undergraduate program were asked what an ideal pre-service mother tongue teacher should be like. Phenomenology, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the study. Phenomenology was chosen in this study to set a standard for what a pre-service mother tongue teacher should be like. According to the results obtained from the findings of the study, a good pre-service mother tongue teacher should be especially good in the field of communication skills. Suggestions were made together with the other results.

A Comparative Glance At Teaching Practice of Mother Tongue Teacher Candidates in Türkiye and United Kingdom

This research aimed to determine how prospective secondary school language teachers conduct their teaching practicum in the United Kingdom and Türkiye. The study was designed using a multiple-case holistic design. Accordingly, data for the research were collected through document analysis and interviews. Data related to the teaching practicum in the Turkish Language Teaching program at Kırşehir Ahi Evran University Faculty of Education in Türkiye were obtained through document analysis. Data regarding the teaching practicum in the Postgraduate Certificate in Education program for secondary English teaching at the University of Reading Faculty of Education in the United Kingdom were obtained through document analysis and interviews with faculty members at the institution. It is evident that while the instructional content of teaching practicums in both nations exhibits substantial similarities, a notable disparity emerges with regard to the temporal extent of the practicum experience afforded to prospective secondary school language educators. As a result, the process of teaching practicums for secondary school language teacher candidates differs between Türkiye and the UK in terms of practicum hours, school diversity, and assessment methods.

Has language as resource been the basis for mother-tongue instruction in Sweden? On the evolution of policy orientations towards a uniquely enduring bilingual policy

This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the motivations that key policy documents have put forward as justifications for Sweden’s mother-tongue instruction in immigrant and historical minority languages as a multicultural policy that has endured for nearly half a century. The diachronic development of these motivations is analysed in four periods and interpreted with the help of Ruiz’s (1984) orientations in language planning. The corpus consists of 26 key policy documents making up the coordinative discourse among policy actors. Based on an innovative mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, the motivations are presented in a three-tiered taxonomy consisting of motivational units, themes and language-planning orientations. The results point to both continuity and change in how mother-tongue instruction has been justified over time. Confirming previous research, the results show that the language-as-resource orientation has played a central role in justifying both the establishment and the maintenance of mother-tongue instruction in Sweden and that language as right complemented this orientation. Furthermore, the study illustrates that the language-as-problem orientation need not always be detrimental to bilingualism and minority-language maintenance. Contrary to some claims in the literature, it is argued that language as extrinsic resource is not necessarily underpinned by neoliberalism, as there are also social liberal and conservative inroads to this orientation. The paper concludes that although the language-as-resource orientation plays an indispensable role in supporting bilingualism in education, not only the language-as-right orientation but also the language-as-problem orientation should not be neglected.

Émigrants et réviseurs scolaires dans la Valachie de la première moitié du XIXe-siècle: transfert intellectuel et construction nationale. Étude de cas: Ioan Maiorescu

The 19th century redefined the place of nations within empires. Enlightenment ideas of mother-tongue education, natural rights and liberty join the imperial center’s aim to attract loyalties, gain allegiance, create economic wealth and educate a citizenry attached to the state. In south-eastern Europe, the fragile coexistence of three empires (Ottoman, Russian and Austrian) was disrupted by the way in which the neighboring ethnic groups intended to adjust the Enlightenment ideas to suit the development of their own cultures. The present study traces the transfers brought by the Transylvanian intellectual émigrés to the field of education from Austrian Transylvania to the neighboring Ottoman principality of Wallachia. Coming from the ranks of the Greek Catholic intellectuals – an intermediary stratum between the imperial center, the privileged aristocracy and the majority of Romanian peasants – they pursued, at the same time, their professional development and the rise of literacy in Wallachia. As school inspectors, they intervened administratively and pedagogically in the school network recently established in Wallachia. Their leader, Ioan Maiorescu, questioned the Russian-style model of modernization and called for adapting Western models to the local reality to further the aim of cultural emancipation

Developing Digital Content Production Skills for Mother Tongue Teaching with Web 2.0 Tools in Teacher Education: An Action Research

Today, it is widely acknowledged that the use of the Internet and the development, production, and sharing of content over the web has become widespread. Web technologies that provide these conveniences are commonly referred to as Web 2.0 tools. This study aims to develop the skills of pre-service teachers who will teach Turkish as a mother tongue to produce digital content for mother tongue teaching with Web 2.0 tools. The research was conducted with action research, one of the qualitative research methods. The participants developed their digital content production skills through the research using many different Web 2.0 tools. With these different Web 2.0 tools, the participants developed instructional content such as puzzles, online quizzes, presentations, video preparation and editing, blogs/websites, and concept maps. The various digital contents developed by the participants with different Web 2.0 tools are digital teaching materials for reading, writing, listening/watching, and speaking skills that form the basis of mother tongue teaching. The participants' thoughts about feeling inadequate about web 2.0 tools before the implementation changed after the implementation. The participants could produce content with Web 2.0 tools, improve their teaching skills, and benefit from these tools in their teaching practicum.

The politics of decolonising the curriculum through adopting mother tongue instruction in a South African historically disadvantaged university setting

This paper focuses on the dynamics of decolonising the curriculum by adopting mother tongue language as a medium for instruction in South African universities. There has been growing criticism on the slow pace of decoloniality within university spaces amid mounting challenges of lack of development in society. The paper speaks to the experiences of historically disadvantaged universities regarding adopting mother tongue instruction, especially considering the complexities and contradictions posed by institutional culture and epistemological traditions. The paper presents insights into how a decolonial perspective can assist in ridding African universities of epistemological and pedagogical practices that hinder decolonial efforts and broader societal development. The paper focuses on the synergies between mother tongue instruction and curriculum transformation in light of the contradictions associated with the use of the mother tongue that could enhance students’ epistemic access and success. It thus presents opportunities and controversies surrounding the introduction of the language policy, especially among historically disadvantaged universities. A Kaupapa Māori approach philosophical lens of reimagination evoked during the 1980s revolution becomes a central theoretical framework. It helps understand how indigenous philosophies can be essential in decolonising African knowledge and epistemological traditions. In this regard, the paper concludes that applying the Kaupapa Māori approach—and in particular, the principle of reimagination on the curriculum transformation in African universities (especially the formerly disadvantaged ones)—can propel a decolonial drive. The paper resulted from experiential knowledge and observations, informal interviews targeting students and scholars and empirical evidence from previous studies.

Three Language Formula in National Education Policy, 2020 of India: From the Stakeholder’s Perspectives

Odisha has more than twenty tribal languages and imparting education to these children has had several challenges which have resulted in severe school dropouts. The study attempts to find out the possible outcomes of the language policy from the NEP 2020 of India. The researchers surveyed teachers and parents and conducted interviews with a much-acclaimed language expert from Odisha besides classroom observations. The finding summarizes that mother tongue education plays a significant role in the early childhood learning experience and subjects like Math and Science can be better understood in the mother language. The study found real issues and challenges in the implementation of Three Language Formulas, particularly in tribal-populated regions of the state. The problem of teacher inadequacy and lack of proper training may pose serious hindrances in the implementation of the language policy as envisaged by the NEP 2020. The study also found the status of English in the education system in India as the majority of the parents said that they would like their wards to take up English as their third or second language.

Mother Tongue Instruction in The Laboratory Elementary Schools From the Pupils’ Viewpoint

Mother Tongue Instruction in The Laboratory Elementary Schools From the Pupils’ Viewpoint

Popular Culture in the Classroom: Teaching Reading and Writing with Inclusive Approach in Mother Tongue Education

Popular Culture in the Classroom: Teaching Reading and Writing with Inclusive Approach in Mother Tongue Education

The content and essence of speech competence in mother tongue education

The content and essence of speech competence in mother tongue education

Innovation in Early Reading Instruction: The Development of e-Learning Materials in Mother Tongue

Mother Tongue-Based-Multilingual Education has been shown to improve the academic performance of early-grade learners. However, challenges such as inaccessibility and lack of contextualized materials in the mother tongue (MT) have hindered students' full engagement in learning. To address this, a quasi-experimental study was conducted with struggling first-grade learners (n=60) to investigate the effectiveness of researcher-developed e-learning materials for early reading in MT. Instruments used in this study included a researcher-created storyboard for video creation, with its dialogue and storyline; the test questionnaires, adapted from the MT-based Curriculum Guide of the Department of Education in the Philippines, for measuring participants’ reading performance in phonic and word recognition. The pre-test and post-test data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and a t-test at a 5% significance level. Qualitative data extracted through interviews were analyzed thematically, while a four-point Likert scale was used to interpret the overall rating of the e-learning materials. The content and ICT experts measured the e-learning materials’ validity and effectiveness. The results illustrated e-learning materials like video stories and PowerPoint presentations, developed using the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) model, improved learners' letter-sound and word-blending abilities. Experts rated the materials excellent for technical standards, content quality, and effectiveness. The e-learning materials as a pedagogical intervention in early reading are innovative, interactive, and engaging and can potentially enhance early graders' reading performance. Future research can explore design or layout modification of the materials creatively to enhance learner engagement in early-grade MT instruction.

On the results of the reading comprehension competency assessment among first-year students of the Ferenc Rákóczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian College of Higher Education

In the 2022–2023 academic year, in addition to the previously conducted mathematics competency assessment the Ferenc Rákóczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian College of Higher Education also measured reading comprehension. The aim of the survey was to examine all the first-year students. However, due to the continuous air raids and upper respiratory epidemics, the initial plan to involve all the first year students could not be successfully completed. This age group was selected because after finishing school the maturity exam in Hungarian language measures the ability to comprehend a text. Thus, the results obtained provide a credible picture of the effectiveness of mother tongue teaching in schools, while also providing empirical data that outline the detailed components and possible causes of poor reading comprehension competence, which is a serious problem to be solved. Overall, the assessment of reading comprehension at the institution can be described as useful. Most of all, it can be seen as a pilot test the data of which can be used effectively in the coming years for the development of effective teaching methods and mother tongue teaching in schools, in particular. The obtained results revealed certain difficulties in reading comprehension and highlighted the necessity of these measurements at the level of higher education. After all, improving the reading comprehension skills of Hungarian schoolchildren in Transcarpathia is primarily the task of teachers, and not only of primary school teachers and Hungarian language teachers.

István Kótyuk and the Hungarian dialects of Transcarpathia

István Kótyuk is known as a versatile scholar in Transcarpathia and beyond the borders of his homeland. He is known to dialectologists primarily as a researcher of the Ung-Vidék dialect and of Ukrainian vocabulary, to lexicographers as a researcher of the Ukrainian-Hungarian and Hungarian-Ukrainian dictionary database edited by István Udvari, and to literary scholars as a literary translator. István Kótyuk is known among Transcarpathian Hungarians primarily as a textbook writer. We would like to talk about István Kótyuk as a dialectologist and Transcarpathian representative of applied dialectology. István Kótyuk published his first studies in various university publications and conference proceedings in Uzhhorod, and in 1974 he defended his thesis on Ukrainian dialects of the lower Ung River in Hungarian dialects. At the time, it was not possible to publish the thesis in print, and the few copies of the typed manuscript were difficult for specialists to access. It was well known that István Kótyuk was very fond of plants, especially flowers. He was not only interested in the care of plants, but also in their names. István Kótyuk took part in the linguistic-geographical research and landscape collections of the Hungarian Department in Uzhhorod. In addition to his work on dialect research, István Kótyuk also played a significant role in the practical application of the Hungarian language, in the implementation of the reform of mother tongue teaching and in the development of the theoretical background. As the leader of the working group that developed the Hungarian language curriculum in 2005, he considered it important to emphasise the issue of dialects and local language varieties. István Kótyuk has combined the traditions of classical dialectology with the main goals of applied dialectology in the study of dialects in Transcarpathian Hungarian: the results of his scientific research have been widely disseminated and used in practice through his textbooks. Independently of the official guides, he conveyed an objective, rational approach to non-standard varieties in the manuals he wrote, thus increasing the prestige of local language varieties.

The appearance of the results of bilingualism research in secondary school education in Transcarpathia and Hungary

Over the past decades, the development of Hungarian language varieties beyond the borders of Hungary and the state language influences that have been manifested in them have attracted considerable attention in linguistic research in Hungary and beyond. In a large part of the literature on the subject, the authors also emphasise the importance of language and language use awareness for achieving adequate communication in all contexts, which is undoubtedly closely linked to the quality of mother tongue teaching in schools and to the language attitudes and linguistic biases of teachers. However, there has been relatively little research on the form and quantity of the results of bilingualism research in school education in Transcarpathia and Hungary. The aim of this paper, therefore, in response to the above-mentioned gap, is to provide an overview of the materials published in Transcarpathian and Hungarian curricula and textbooks on bilingualism research and to present the specificities of the two countries. Based on the analysis of state standards, curricula and textbooks, it can be said that the results of bilingualism research are reflected in the Hungarian language curricula of secondary education in Hungary and Transcarpathia. At the same time, while the Hungarian National Curriculum, the framework curricula and the related textbooks are characterised by a continuous enrichment of the materials related to bilingualism and language varieties from across the border, a certain regression can be observed in the education of native Hungarian speakers in Transcarpathia.

Alphabet primer as mother tongue-based multilingual education supplementary instructional material

This study aims to develop MTB-MLE instructional material such as alphabet primer for the use of Grade 1 pupils in Iyakan language and to test its effectiveness. 100 pupils (Grade 1) participated in the study from a selected public elementary school in a particular city and province in Mindanao, Philippines. The study used a one-group pre-test-post-test design where the worksheets were taken from the Iyakan Alphabet Primer as instruments. Experts in mother-tongue education and members of the community validated and critiqued the alphabet primer. The results of the study demonstrated that the alphabet primer may be tailored to meet the needs of students at the Grade 1 level. Word identification, alphabet knowledge, spelling knowledge, and handwriting are all areas where the learners have shown substantial improvement. The findings suggest that the mother-tongue alphabet primer has potential as a means of raising students’ achievement. Based on the findings, it is suggested that the developed alphabet primer book be used as a supplementary resource for teachers of MTB-MLE with the Iyakan language as L1, that additional teaching guides be created to support teachers in the classroom, that more instructional materials in the first or local languages be created and used in the classrooms, and that the alphabet primer be translated into other dialects or languages in the city or province to maximize their use.

Mother tongue education in four Nordic countries - problem, right or resource?

The Declaration of a Nordic Language Policy stipulates that all Nordic residents have the right to preserve and develop their mother tongue and their national minority languages. Hence, this article investigates the question of mother tongue education for linguistic minority students. Through four ‘telling cases’, the article explores how four Nordic countries, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, orient towards mother tongues, Indigenous and national minority languages in their educational policies. Drawing on Ruíz’ (1984) framework of orientations in language planning, we investigate the following question: In what ways are mother tongues framed as rights, resources, or problems in four telling cases of educational policy in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden? The analysis of the telling cases shows that although all four countries provide various forms of mother tongue education, thus apparently aligning with the intentions in the Declaration of a Nordic Language Policy, there are important differences between the provisions. Nevertheless, across the four countries, the official national languages are placed at the top of a language ideological hierarchy. The official national languages are followed by national minority languages as mother tongues. These languages are awarded rights but are not considered resources for the whole population (e.g., Ruíz, 1984). The Danish telling case inserts a supranational layer in the hierarchy, namely mother tongues with status as official languages in the European Union. The hierarchy of mother tongues thus reflects how some types of mother tongues are more readily granted rights and considered to be resources than others.

CONTENT AND TASKS OF MOTHER TONGUE TEACHING IN GENERAL SECONDARY SCHOOLS

CONTENT AND TASKS OF MOTHER TONGUE TEACHING IN GENERAL SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Attitudes towards mother tongue education in Manipur, Northeast India

The significance of the mother tongue, and particularly mother tongue education, is widely acknowledged across the world. This study aims to investigate mother tongue attitudes of students, teachers, parents, and community members in Manipur. A self-report survey was used to collect data from 463 participants, and an exploratory factor analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between demographic characteristics and attitudes towards mother tongue education. The findings were used to better comprehend the affective, behavioural, and cognitive (ABC) model. The overall findings of the study shows that participants had a favourable attitude towards mother language education, however the majority believe that it is not promoted at the policy level. This study suggests that, given the favourable attitude towards the mother tongue, there is an urgent need to recognise and promote mother tongue education at the policy level-developing multilingual education programmes-to increase educational quality and explore the barriers to its success and sustainability.